Her Story
About Mrunal
I have been in my field for over 20 years, beginning my career in India where I earned my bachelor's degree in computer engineering in 2003. After working in India for 10 years, I moved to the United States in 2013 and have been working here for the past 13 years on an H-1B visa. My US career started at UPS, then I joined Citigroup first as a consultant and later as an employee, and currently I work at JPMorgan Chase where I lead a team focused on identity and access management. As a tech lead, developer, and application owner, I handle the complete software lifecycle, from gathering requirements to mentoring my team through deliverables, coding, and testing. Beyond my corporate responsibilities, I'm deeply involved in mentoring through STEM mentoring programs and Mentor for Her, helping guide the next generation of professionals. I'm also active as a researcher with publications available on my Google Scholar account, and I volunteer as a speaker on topics including AI, machine learning, and explainable AI. Additionally, I serve as a hackathon judge. What I'm most proud of in my career is having worked in banking and finance for the past 12 years as a technology lead, because as we all know, working in this industry is not easy and can be quite stressful.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Mrunal
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was from my father, who told me that at the beginning of your career, what you learn is more important than what you earn. My father is no more, but he always emphasized this to all of us. This advice has stayed with me throughout my journey and shaped how I approached the early stages of my career, focusing on gaining knowledge and experience rather than just compensation.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this field is: don't give up. It may be difficult at the beginning, but it is something which you are going to be proud of and actually enjoy along the way, so don't give up at the beginning. I've been working with a lot of young people at colleges, and what I've seen is that the biggest challenge is that industries should actually go and share their experience with the universities so that students know what the real-world expectations are versus what they are learning. For example, younger people are more focused on building AI, but in regulated industries like banking and finance, you just don't go into production. I really want industries to be sharing their experiences and real-world use cases with students, because that gap is the biggest challenge for the younger generation.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge I see, especially working with young people at colleges, is the gap between what students are learning and real-world industry expectations. Industries need to go and share their experiences with universities so students actually know what to expect in practice. For example, younger people are very focused on building AI, but in regulated industries like banking and finance, you can't just go straight into production. There are many more considerations and requirements. I really believe that industries, regardless of which one, should be sharing their experiences and real-world use cases with students. This disconnect is the biggest challenge facing the younger generation trying to enter our field.
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